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Born Mary Theresa Faleskie on Dec. 12, 1960, at Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, HI, Terri graduated from Hawaii Baptist Academy and earned her BA from Pennsylvania State University, State College.
After college, Terri moved to New York City, beginning her career in advertising at Doyle Dane Bernbach and later at Women’s Day Magazine. She left her career to focus on what she considered her most important job of all — raising her beloved sons, Conor and Liam. Devoted to their growth, Terri was always present at their sports, school, music, and theatrical events. She recognized the individuality of each of her sons and supported the direction their lives took them.
She was the former wife of Ken Breen, having “resigned” from that position in 2013.
Terri was an active volunteer in the Essex Fells PTA, PAMKA, St. Cassian’s, and Oratory Prep, where her children attended these schools. She took immense pride in maintaining her home and beautiful garden, having spent many years devising ways to fend off deer and other critters, often with the help of her dogs, Dalbert, Pumpkin, and Topher.
A lover of nature, Terri served on the boards of the Garden Club of Montclair and the Presby Iris Gardens. Over the years, Terri’s extracurricular fun was playing tennis on the women’s tennis and paddle teams at Montclair Golf Club, Bradford Bath and Tennis, and Glen Ridge Town Team, where she also served as team captain for several years.
Terri was known for her great devotion and loyalty to those she cared about. Quietly helping others was one of her defining traits. She was a ferocious grudge holder to those who wronged her friends and children; her well-known motto being “Don’t f**k with my kids.”
Terri enjoyed off-leash hikes with her dogs, spending time with her friends, gardening, traveling, fine dining, Broadway shows, crime documentaries, sweets, and a great cup of coffee. An amateur genealogist, she proudly traced her Italian lineage back to the 1740s, teaching herself to transcribe Italian Civil and Ecclesiastical records.
Above all else, Terri’s greatest passion in life was her children.
Funeral services will be Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m., at St. Cassian Roman Catholic Church in Montclair.
Donations in Terri's memory can be made to the Garden Club of Montclair or Oratory Prep School in Summit.
Terri Breen's obituary runs on the Bizub Quinlan Funeral Home website.
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